


I’ll hold you. Till you get better.

by aidensgyver



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Comfort, Crying, Depression, Fluff, Sadness, one bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:06:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27001693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aidensgyver/pseuds/aidensgyver
Summary: Things take a toll on Riley. Mac has to help out, in some way.
Relationships: Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 108





	I’ll hold you. Till you get better.

Mac never noticed how drawn back Riley had become since the CODEX “peril”. The way her usual sassiness was replaced with a rather hush attitude. She never spoke that much to anyone on the team, save Mac when they were alone at the firepit.

And even then, she never really opened up to him that much about herself. It was always her checking up on him, worrying about his mental health and coping with loss of his aunt.

Mac was quick to spill the beans with Riley, wether it was nightmares he’d been having recently or weird mood swings, he told her. And she’d listen to him with a small, caring smile on her face, taking in every word he said.

When ever Mac would direct a question to her, as simple as “how are things on your side?”, all she did was huff a laugh and tell him it was all fine.

It wasn’t as simple as that though. They lived together, they were roommates, and when life was taking a rough turn for either one, it was all too clear. Mac never confronted her about it though, his few efforts always brushed off.

One night however, on his was to the kitchen, which required going past her bedroom door, he was all to sure he had heard quiet sobs coming from the other side of the door. Riley was extremely private when it came to her life, even with Mac. Really the only person she did, or used to, open up to was Jack.

What made Mac feel worse was that she cared so much about him, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t seem to repay the favour. She was just so damn hard to get to.

Mac recalled Jack telling him how the older man had worked for years on his father/daughter relationship with Riley. Years, it had taken him years before she finally started coming to him for help.

But that was Jack, and no matter how much Mac tried to be the same, it never worked.

The same morning after that night he could clearly see the unusual puffiness beneath her eyes, covered in the dark layers of eye shadow. A slight shade of red clouded Riley’s otherwise sparkling pupils. Lack of sleep, and Mac knew immediately.

As they stepped out of the house, and it was Riley’s turn to drive them that day, she handed him the keys to her truck, then without a word jumped into the passenger seat.

Riley loved driving, another trait she had picked up from Jack, and leaving the chance to speed to the Phoenix was not her usual self. Mac flopped terribly in his attempt to strike a fluffy conversation, only managing a few words here and there.

The mission that day required Riley in the war room for the entire time, and Mac knew it was better for her. Before he and the others set out, he stopped Matty outside the door and bent down to her ear, “Can you try and get Riley to talk herself out, she’s hasn’t been faring well this past week”.

Matty at first gave him a cold stare but nodded solemnly in acceptance. Yes, the team did look up to Matty as their “mom” in a sense, but when it came to Riley, it was different.

Matty and Riley had spent more time together in the war room than any other two agents. They’d gotten to know each other over the years and if anyone could get Riley to speak, it was Matty. Mac had hope in that, and he felt that his girl was in good hands for the day.

What he heard from Matty after the mission wasn’t uplifting in any way. Riley had been on her laptop the entire time, and she straight up told Matty she wasn’t in for a chat.

“Has she spoken to Jack lately?” Questioned Matty, as she and Mac left the war room that night.

“No, he hasn’t been that responsive lately, says the intensity keeps building up” Replied Mac, solemnly.

“Then it’s up to you to get her talking” Said Matty, stopping to face Mac directly, “You know what happened to you when things got murky, we can’t let that happen to Riley”.

Mac rubbed his eyes, the events of the day taking its toll on his energy, “Sure, I’ll see what I can do”. As worried and concerned about Riley as he was, Mac knew he had to find someway to get to her. It was gonna be hard, but he had to do it.

Deciding to give it a shot the next day, Mac retired to his room early that same night, Riley quietly entering hers. It was around 1 AM that he got up, his throat raspy and begging for water. He swore he had placed a water bottle on the stand next to the bed, but it was no where in sight.

As he left his room, bound for the kitchen, he noticed the door to Riley’s room ajar. Unable to resist the urge, Mac poked his head through the opening and scanned the room, “Riles?”.

The bed was neatly made, pillows and blanket artfully arranged, but empty. EMPTY.

Mac’s head spun for a second before he regained his senses. Entering the room, he checked for any traces. Riley’s laptop sat on the desk in the corner, but her phone was no where in sight. A peep through the window revealed both her and Mac’s trucks still in the driveway. Her shoes were gone too.

A quick check around the house and deck, Mac arrived at the conclusion she must have snuck out. His heart racing with worry, Riley being in no shape to be out there alone (as he thought, at least), he whipped out his phone and opened the tracking app.

Riley had designed the app specifically to fit their phones and their phones only. After the CODEX issue, she had been keeping close tabs on him. This time, however, it was his turn to seek her out.

A quick punch in of a code and her location popped up on the screen. The beach.

The beach was at least a half hour walk from Mac’s place, and despite the possibility of Riley just wanting a little moon walk, darker thoughts clouded his mind. So, pulling on a t shirt and hoody, Mac stuffed on his shoes and grabbed his keys.

He sent a call to Riley’s phone, but it went straight to voicemail. Either she had kept her phone solely for him to be able to track her down, or something just wasn’t right.

What should have been a 10 minute drive took him 5 minutes, and three red lights. He finally pulled up to the parking lot overlooking the sandy bank. It was dark, and the cold wind bit into his skin as he wobbled clumsily down the bank.

A dark line of shrubs ran across the beach, and as he made his way through, Mac finally spotted Riley. Standing close to the waves splashing on the shoreline, she stood still, hands in her pockets. A hoody was pulled over her ponytail, she seemed oblivious of Mac approaching behind her.

“Riles”.

She stayed still, and Mac saw her let out a long breath. Then a sniffle.

He walked up to her, closer than usual, until his chest was just about against her shoulder. Then he just stood their, looking over the crashing waves in the distance. He noticed Riley’s shoulders sag, before she slowly took a step back and leaned her head back on his shoulder.

“It can’t stop” She said softly, barely loud enough for him to hear over the crashing waves and the piercing wind, “It just won’t”.

Mac placed a firm hand on the girl’s arm and gripped it tightly, “Riley, talk to me, what’s bothering you?”.

Riley just shook her head, “It all happened so quick, first Jack left, then Charlie’s passing, then Oversight…” Her voice cracked, and she turned around to face Mac. Even in the dim moonlight shining on them, the blonde could clearly see dark tear streaks staining her cheeks. “Then I almost lost you….”.

And she collapsed into his arms, her entire body shaking as violent sobs ripped through her body. Riley put her arms around his shoulders and held on as tightly as ever, crying her heart out.

It came suddenly, so suddenly it caught Mac by total surprise. But he still put his arms around her petite figure and clutched her to himself. They stood like that for as long as he could count the time.

Riley cried into his shoulder, and he slowly rubbed his hand across her back, trying to reassure her in whatever way he could.

After what seemed like forever, her sobs slowly died down into a few occasional sniffles. Once her grip loosened, Mac finally found the courage to let her go. She stepped back, keeping her face down, afraid to show her tears to the man that cared for her so much.

Figuring she was embarrassed by her own breakdown, Mac placed his hand under her chin and slowly lifted it up, until her eyes were level with his. Then he slowly rubbed the tears away from her cheeks with the back of his hand. “Riley, I’m right here, and I’m not gonna leave you”.

She stepped back again, reaching up to wipe her eyes with her sleeves, smudging her makeup in the process, “I’m just so scared…something might just..”, and Mac cut her off before she could go any further.

“Nothings gonna happen, I got you, okay? I’m right here if you need me”. As pathetic as he sounded to himself, it seemed to make her feel better somewhat.

Nodding silently, Riley put her arm around his torso and ducked under his arm, like a little kitten seeking shelter from the cold.

Mac put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her head beneath his chin. He’d hold her like this for as long as she wanted, as long as she felt better that way. Slowly he walked her back up to the truck and helped her up into the passenger seat.

As he pulled onto the road, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, totally burnt out. The mission, lack of sleep and the amount of crying she had just done had done its damage.

Once they arrived home, and it was just hitting 3 AM as they did so, she had completely knocked out. As he opened the door she jumped up and unbuckled herself, but before she could climb out her scooped her up in his arms.

At first Riley tensed, but slowly relaxed and allowed Mac to carry her inside, too exhausted to care how he did it. And too exhausted to care that he laid her down in his  _ own  _ bed. And she couldn’t care less when he lie down next to her, circling his long arms around her.

So, she turned over and cuddled next to him, before slowly drifting away into a deep slumber. Mac himself didn’t care either what they were doing, Riley needed attention and comfort, wether it was physical or mental. He was gonna help her either way. And that’s all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> The reason I’m writing these kinda stuff is because everything going on is having an affect on Riley too, the show just ain’t showing it. She deserves someone to be there for her, so I’ve made it just so! 
> 
> Please comment and ty for reading! 
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @AidenMjx


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